At Home Or On Road, They Do What They Can

Neighbors Agree Cersosimos A Helpful Couple

MARLBOROUGH — Meals-on- wheels drivers come and go, but Doris Cersosimo has hung in there since the program began in town in 1987.

And while she's delivering meals to the homebound, her husband, Joseph Cersosimo, is keeping watch over vacationing neighbors' houses.

Together, the Cersosimos make a pair of good neighbors, fellow Marlborough residents say.

``They call me up, they go away to Florida and I take care of their houses,'' said Joseph Cersosimo. ``I just check 'em, see if everything's all right, make sure no one's broken in.''

While he's out doing that, his wife could be doing any one of a number of things. Doris Cersosimo bakes cakes and other refreshments for meetings of the senior citizens' group. Though afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis, she crafts intricate, artistic needlework that she gives away. And she is a subject in an osteoporosis study.

``I really enjoy helping people out,'' the 66-year-old woman said.

She won't hesitate to substitute for sick drivers -- even when she is recovering from surgery herself, said Barbara Sarnik, who coordinates the meals-on-wheels program.

``She has health problems of her own, but that doesn't stop her,'' Sarnik said, adding that Doris Cersosimo fills in ``at the drop of a hat, no questions asked. She's just so willing to help.''

Doris Cersosimo said she gains sustenance from helping others -- especially since last summer, when she needed meals-on-wheels herself for about two weeks. Now partially recuperated, she's eager to resume her work.

``I miss doing it,'' she said. ``I've been on leave from it because I had gall bladder surgery this summer, but I miss it, and I really want to get back to it. I [filled in] Tuesday because somebody was out [sick].''

Much of Joseph Cersosimo's work took place years ago. But, the 85-year-old said, ``I used to help quite a bit, and I'm still helping.''

He spends time at the senior center, he said. ``I keep 'em all smiling when I go there and raise Cain. I have a lot of fun when I'm there.''

Underneath, Joseph Cersosimo's philosophy mirrors his wife's.

``I always like to help people,'' he said. ``If somebody wants me to take stuff to the dump, or check the house, I do it for charity, for nothing.''